GMP officer faces criminal investigation over use of force during arrest at Manchester Airport

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the officer has been suspended from all duties after a video was widely circulated online of a man being kicked and stamped on at the airport.

The IOPC said it has notified the GMP officer on Friday that he is under criminal investigation for assault.

“We have also served the police constable with a disciplinary notice to inform him he is being investigated for potential gross misconduct for a number of alleged breaches of police professional standards including his use of force,” it added.

“The serving of notices does not necessarily mean criminal charges will follow. At the end of our investigation we will decide whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision and decide whether the officer should face disciplinary proceedings.”

Officers had been called to reports of an altercation between members of the public in Terminal 2 at the airport.

“While attempting to arrest one of the suspects, three officers were subjected to a violent assault where they were punched to the ground,” said GMP.

“A female officer suffered a broken nose and all three were taken to hospital for treatment.

“As the attending officers were firearms officers, there was a clear risk during this assault of their firearms being taken from them.”

GMP said that following a “thorough review of further information that has become available”, it has suspended a police officer from all duties.

“We understand the deep concerns that have been widely raised with us and will continue to meet and discuss these feelings with Greater Manchester residents and elected representatives while this independent investigation takes place,” it said.

The force said a referral has been made to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) following the incident.

IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “We can confirm we are independently investigating the level of force used by a Greater Manchester Police officer as part of an incident in which a number of men were arrested at Manchester Airport on Tuesday July 23.

“We have been advised by the force that the officer has now been suspended from all duties.”

She said they have since received a further referral from GMP in relating to the same officer’s use of PAVA spray on another man at the airport.

Ms Bates said: “We can confirm we are conducting a criminal investigation into the use of force during events which took place on July 23 at Manchester Airport. We are arranging to interview a police constable under criminal caution as soon as possible.

“I have today met one of the men who was involved and his family members to outline our investigation and we will continue to update them and GMP as our enquiries progress. We will be speaking to the man involved in the second incident as soon as we can.

“The family has asked me to reiterate their call for peace and wish to stress that they do not condone any acts of violence as a result of this incident.

“We are meeting with a number of community leaders in Rochdale this afternoon to listen to their concerns and explain our role.

“Our investigation continues to gather relevant evidence and will be following a number of lines of inquiry. We will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so.”

She added: “We understand the widespread shock and concern that a video circulated on social media following the arrest of men by GMP at Manchester Airport has caused,” said Ms Bates.

“It is vitally important we investigate all of the circumstances surrounding the incident. We are independent of the police and our investigation will be thorough and robust.

“Our enquiries are in their very early stages but we have already secured a significant amount of body-worn video and CCTV footage which will be subject to detailed analysis.

“We are grateful to those who have already been in touch with us and we have now set up a reporting line so that people who may have witnessed or filmed the incident can contact us. This will help as we build up a detailed picture of what happened on the day.”

“We know many people have serious questions about what happened and we will work to provide those answers as quickly as we can.”

In a statement following the incident, GMP Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said: “We know that a film of an incident at Manchester Airport that is circulating widely shows an event that is truly shocking, and that people are rightly extremely concerned about. The use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence and one that we understands creates alarm.

“In advance of what is shown in the footage available, we were called to reports of an assault at Terminal 2, Manchester Airport at 8.25pm on Tuesday July 23.

“The alleged suspect was seen on CCTV at a ticket machine in the car park and officers attended the location to arrest him.

“During our response, three officers were assaulted. One female officer suffered a broken nose and the other officers were forced to the ground and suffered injuries which required hospital treatment.

“One male officer has been removed from operational duties and we are making a voluntary referral our policing response to the IOPC.

“Two men have been arrested on suspicion of assault, assault of emergency worker, affray and obstructing police.

“Two other men have also been arrested on suspicion of affray and assault of an emergency worker.”

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “I have seen the disturbing video footage circulating of a GMP officer at Manchester Airport and recognise the widespread and deep concern this has caused in Greater Manchester and beyond.

“The deputy mayor and I have raised these concerns with the deputy chief constable.

“We have been informed that a referral has now been made to the IOPC for a full investigation.”

“Greater Manchester Police Federation said it “notes the decision of the force to suspend an officer involved in an incident at Manchester Airport this week”.

It added: “The matter is now under investigation – everyone has the right to a fair hearing where all sides of the story are told and context is provided.

“As their Staff Association, we are supporting the officer concerned, and all of our colleagues who were involved in this incident, including those who were injured.

“We would also like to thank the many members of the public who have contacted us offering support for our hard-working colleagues doing a difficult and dangerous job. It is appreciated.”